Charmed By Knight (The Fielding Brothers Saga) (6 page)

“Good heavens, child, you look a fright. Are you all right?”

Megan picked at the tattered sleeves of her dress and chuckled. “Yes, thank you, but I am fine. As the storm hit, the trees decided to tear me to shreds. I’m grateful to have found shelter.”

“Your mother and the dowager duchess have been worried sick. Her Grace even sent out a search party for you over an hour ago.”

Megan’s heart clenched. The moment of confession was close at hand. Could she do it?

“When
Kelton
came back a half hour ago without a trace of you,” Lady Witherspoon continued, “he prepared to go into town to gather more riders.”

Megan scrunched her brow. How could the duke have ridden been here a half hour ago when they just barely arrived? “Do you mean James Hartley, the dowager’s grandson?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Why, that is impossible. He was—” Megan quickly cut herself off before she admitted they had been together.

“Yes, Miss Ramsey?”

She gestured in an air of dismissal. “Never mind. I shall go inside and inform my mother I’m safe.”

She turned and hurried toward the house, and as she approached, a man on horseback came riding toward her. He didn’t look familiar, yet he appeared eager to approach her. She stopped on the bottom step of the porch and waited to see what he wanted.

He was quite handsome, yet compared to her knight at the cottage there was no similarity. The blond hair and brown eyes were not the dreamy colors she’d been drowning in all afternoon.

Just as Lady Witherspoon had done, the stranger’s gaze skipped over Megan’s tattered dress and ratted hair. He pulled his horse to a stop near her.

“Excuse me, but are you perhaps Miss Megan Ramsey? Lady Saxton’s daughter?”

“I am.”

He blew out a gush of air, his shoulders relaxing. He quickly dismounted. “I have been looking for you.” His gaze swept over her dress again. “And by your appearance, I would assume you did get caught in the storm as my grandmother had speculated.”

She nodded. “I’m truly sorry to have worried everyone. I was trying to catch up with the others who had ridden into town earlier. Do you know if they have returned?”

“Yes. About two hours ago.”

“Were you part of that group?”

He chuckled. “No, I don’t join the gatherings my grandmother has with her friends.”

“Who is your grandmother?”

His smile broadened. “Why, Miss Ramsey, you were invited to my grandmother’s house and yet you don’t know of her grandson?”

She gasped, her blood turning to ice. “You…are…the Duke of
Kelton
?” Her mind refused to believe.
He couldn’t be.

He sketched a perfunctory bow. “At your service.”

Grasping the horse’s reins, she held herself straight despite the dizziness consuming her. Ringing resounded in her ears and she swayed. She’d spent the past few hours alone with a man who wasn’t the duke? Then who was he? But most importantly, would the stranger do the right thing and take her as his wife?

“Miss Ramsey?” The real
Kelton’s
voice sounded as if he were far away. He rushed to her, grabbing her as she fell to the ground.

Everything around her spun out of control, the edges of her world began to turn black and she wanted to shut her confused mind so she would not remember. Not remember the hours spent with a nameless man at the woodsman’s cottage. Not remember his eyes that held her in a trance, and especially, not remember his fiery kisses.

* * * *

Megan stared out the bedroom window, still in a state of shock, her body frozen from the news.
He’s not the duke.

Propped up in a reclining position on the bed, a blanket covered her legs and a cool compress draped across her forehead. None of it mattered. The crushing despair from this afternoon’s deception still twisted her stomach. Shame washed over her from what she and this strange man had done…all she had allowed him to do. And she didn’t even know his name.

From the other side of the room, whispers of her mother and the dowager duchess buzzed through the air. Within minutes, the click of the door as it opened and closed rang through the stillness. Rose-scented air wafted to Megan’s senses as her mother came to her side. The bed shifted when she sat and adjusted the cloth on Megan’s head.

“Oh, dear.” Her mother huffed. “Your father is going to be livid over this most depressing news.”

At that moment, Megan didn’t care.

“To think you stayed in the woodsman’s cottage by yourself without the duke.” She groaned, swiping her hand across Megan’s forehead. “What are we to do now? We will just have to think up another plan to get you and
Kelton
alone.”

Megan blinked back the tears of frustration. She had chosen not to confess the truth to her mother and disappoint her, but now wished she had. Yet, that would have caused more heartache. No matter what happened, the Ramsey family was still in the same predicament they’d been in this morning.

Heaving a sigh, Megan rolled her head on the pillow and looked at her mother. “I agree. We must think of something else, but I fear it will come to naught. The party is almost to an end.”

“Not to worry. I will come up with something brilliant. I always do, you know.”

Megan wanted to roll her eyes. Her mother always had a devious plan in the making. She learned that from her husband, Megan was certain.

The older woman moved off the bed and stood. She wrung her hands against her stomach and paced the floor. “It is most fortunate the dowager duchess and the other guests don’t suspect what happened this afternoon. Of course, soon questions will arise, and so we must have some story to tell.”

“I thought I was following the duke,” Megan mumbled, trying to conclude what could have happened, wondering what went wrong.

“But
Kelton
returned right after the storm hit, so what story could we create?” Her mother stopped, her eyes widening. “I have it. We will say you were hurt from the storm, and you found refuge in the cottage until the storm passed.
Kelton
was not there, so he cannot deny it.”

Megan closed her eyes and rested her head on the soft pillow. “Mother, that’s exactly what happened, so it wouldn’t be a lie.”

Remembering the man who had kissed her so passionately, made Megan groan. Even though she knew he was not the duke, her body still yearned for his caress and his charming words. Literally, she’d enjoyed his company no matter the man’s identity.

With a deep sigh, she rolled away from her mother. “Now if you will please leave, I need to rest before dinner.”

Her mother kissed Megan’s cheek and left the room. Tears threatened to spill, but Megan bit her lip to keep from crying out in humiliation and fear; fear that her family would indeed be kicked out into the streets to live like beggars. For certain this man – whoever he was – would
not
do the right thing and offer marriage. He was no gentleman, which she suspected all along.

In anger, she drove her fist into the mattress then whimpered as a pain shot through her still sore limb. She rubbed her injured shoulder. She’d like to find the man who played this cruel trick on her and shoot him in his black heart. She’d been such a fool to believe his every word. She’d like to erase the memory of his mouth on her, his hands caressing her with such tenderness. If she ever saw him again, she’d…

She bolted up in bed. He’d asked her to meet him in the greenhouse after dinner. Why would he do that if he were not the true duke? Yet, he acted as if he wanted to see her again. What was the probability he would be there tonight?

Once again, her heart pumped with renewed life. She hopped out of bed and ran to the washroom to ready herself for tonight’s events. She prayed the stranger would be in the greenhouse, because she would give him a piece of her mind. Worry also built inside her. Did she really want to know is true identity?

Chapter Four

“My dear Miss Ramsey, you must have been frightened out of your wits,” the Dowager Duchess of
Kelton
remarked from the opposite end of the large dining room table.

Startled, Megan dropped her fork. All eyes turned toward her. The worried expression on the older woman’s wrinkled forehead made Megan feel even guiltier about her omission. Taking deep breaths for control, she picked up her fork. “Indeed, I was extremely frightened. A fallen branch struck my head and my vision became blurred. Thankfully, though, I was blessed to find dry shelter.”

“Did you go to the hunter’s cottage?” the Duke of
Kelton
asked from the other side of the table.

She glanced his way and nodded. “I’m forever grateful for the use of your cottage, Your Grace. If not for the shelter, I might have drowned in the storm.”

Chuckles exploded around the table from her remark. She remembered thinking the same when the stranger at the cottage had suggested drowning.

“I agree, Miss Ramsey. The rain fell in buckets this afternoon,” the duke continued. “Usually, I go on my daily ride around the estate, but the rain even drove me back to the house.” He shook his head. “I wish I had spotted you. I wouldn’t have let you go riding.”

“I thank you.” Megan smiled. If only he had spotted her things would be so different right now.

“I’m just relieved,” the duchess added, “you didn’t cross into our neighboring property. If
that man
had noticed how helpless you were,
he
wouldn’t have been so kind in assisting to your comfort.”

Megan scrunched her eyebrows. A slight pound began at the base of her skull. “Why is that, Your Grace?”

“Miss Ramsey,” the duke took over for his grandmother, “that’s one man you don’t want to meet up with. In fact—” He paused and glanced at all the other young ladies at the table. “I pray none of you ladies will be so unfortunate. Mr. Edmund Knight is not only a rogue, but also a fraudulent businessman. Because he’s the illegitimate son of a nobleman, his lifestyle is horrendous. He’s despicable in every way possible.”

Edmund Knight
!

She glanced at her mother. Lines of panic marred the older woman’s forehead even as color faded from her face. Edmund was the cad who’d taken Megan’s father under his wing and taught him to gamble. Edmund Knight was the very reason their family was in financial ruins; the very reason her father had turned away suitors, seeking the wealthiest; the very reason she was desperate to find a titled husband as soon as possible. Was it possible that the stranger in the cottage was Mr. Knight? Megan’s stomach clenched and she prayed she was wrong.

She looked back at the duke. “I don’t believe I have heard of this man,” she fibbed, in hopes of getting more information.

Kelton
shook his head. “Many have not. Society allows him to participate in some of their functions, and due to his sudden wealth there are a few who tolerate his behavior.” He glanced at the young women around the table again. “I would advise all of you to stay away from him. He will most certainly ruin your reputation.”

A young woman across the table from Megan gasped. “Your Grace? What does this man look like so we can all steer clear of him?”

“He towers over most men. His hair and eyes are as dark as sin. You will recognize him immediately by his blade-sharp charisma. He would charm a snake if given the chance.”

In a fierce rhythm, Megan’s heart pounded against her ribs. Had a piece of food get stuck in her throat or had she choked on her own breath? With a shaky hand, she picked up her wine and sipped, but didn’t feel the liquid trickling down her throat.

The rhythm of her unsteady heart told her she had been with Mr. Knight. It had to be. Everything added up. His estate neighbored
Kelton’s
, and his description fit perfectly. Even the description of his charm. This certainly explained why he chuckled when she’d referred to him as her
rescuing knight.

As the meal progressed, Megan’s heart sank like a ship in a bottomless sea. If this Edmund Knight was the man she’d been with, there was no chance he’d propose marriage. Of course, why would she want a man like him? Her father wouldn’t allow her to marry anyone less than an Earl.

Knowing this information made it more difficult to consider going to the greenhouse after the meal. If he were truly the dastardly Edmund Knight, she could ill afford to be caught in his presence. But what if, by chance, the man with the passionate kisses was not Mr. Knight? Would he be titled and wealthy and have a good, upstanding name in society? Would he marry her?

The duke was vastly different from the man in the woodsman’s cottage. Besides
Kelton’s
lighter color of hair, his body wasn’t as muscular. His fingers were not long and skillful, and
Kelton’s
bland smile didn’t make her heart flutter.

Her twisting stomach made it nigh impossible to eat, but she managed to swallow a few more bites. The conversation floated around the table and the meal seemed to drag on forever.
Will this ever end?
It wasn’t long before the dowager announced the ladies would adjourn into the ballroom and leave the few men alone to enjoy their cheroots and brandy.